Since 2001, the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs have offered an exciting and innovative leadership development club that are active in many local schools in the San Diego region. The Clubs are built on the ten values of Cesar Chavez and are designed to engage Club members in community service activities. The Clubs are built on the ten values of Cesar Chavez and are designed to engage Club members in leadership and community service activities. Students build confidence and are inspired to believe in themselves as they learn through their experiences that they can make a lasting difference.

Each student club member signs a Contractwhen they join, agreeing to be a proud, respectful, and active club member. Student Chavistas also learn about the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs' logo or emblem which is divided into five elements:

DOVE: Use peace rather than violence (PEACE);

HEART: Embrace others in a positive and loving way (LOVE);

TREE: Respect yourself, others and the environment (RESPECT);

HAND: Be an active team member and give service to the community (SERVICE);

EARTH: Unite for the greater good for this world (UNITY).

Community Events

Building Leadership Through Community Participation

Rosa Parks Principal's Award

Many of our Chavistas participate in school activities. Here they are shown at a school assembly being awarded the Principal’s Award for citizenship and leadership in organizing inclusive activities for the student body.

Cesar Chavez Marches

The Chavez Service Clubs enjoys to actively participate in many neighborhood events, especially the marches and parades. Since the 2001 inception of the Clubs, the Cesar Chavez Elementary neighborhood march is a community favorite. Our first Club began at this elementary school. The photo shows Maryann Fox, former Chancellor of the University of California at San Diego, participating in a neighborhood march.

Service Projects

Giving Back To Our Communities

Feeding The Hungry

Each Club discusses and votes on the projects they will participate in. Helping the Most Needy is one of the Clubs’ core values and feeding the hungry is one of the activities the Clubs have worked on over a number of years. Whether it’s cooking the meal, making sandwiches, serving the food, the Chavistas are ready for action.

Naming of Cesar E. Chavez Parkway

Tree Planting

The Chavistas were played a very important and successful active role persuading the City of San Diego to name a street in honor of Cesar Chavez. On the day of the street naming, Chavistas, the Urban Corps of San Diego, and many volunteers planted hundreds of trees on and adjacent to Cesar E.Chavez Parkway.

Greening of the Inner City

Working to Beautify The Community

Most of our Clubs are located in San Diego’s inner city. Chavistas and their supporters have planted hundreds of trees in and around their school sites. One of the Club values is respect and tree planting gives Chavista’s the opportunity to beautify their community.

Leadership Development

Building the Leaders of the Future

Chavista Podcasts - 2019

Learning About Community Leaders

and Building Communication Skills

In episode 1, Chavistasinterviews Chavez Clubs Founder, Linda LeGerrette, who talks about how the Clubs were started and how the values of Cesar Chavez are part of every Chavez Club curriculum.

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y5i2d-ab6116

In the episode 2 you will hear Elementary Chavistas from Euclid and Fay Elementary from San Diego City Heights interviewing long time activist Vernon Sukumu. It follows with, a president's day special, black history fun facts and a section of black figures that inspire young Chavistas!

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y9pht-b3aba9

Learning the Chavez Legacy

Leadership Lessons from the Movement

The history of Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers movement gives Chavistas tremendous insight regarding Chavez’ philosophy and decision making. The Clubs are very fortunate that many individuals who worked with the Cesar Chavez visit the Clubs sharing the many valuable lessons they learned while serving the farmworkers and other civil and human rights organizations. The leadership lessons are taught through the 10 Values.

Chavista Relationships

Building Lasting Friendships

The Chavez Service Club takes great pride in bringing together young students who want to serve their school and community. The Chavistas represent many of the different communities and enjoy the opportunity of meeting other Chavistas from throughout the community. Many of these relationships will last a lifetime.

Club Elections

Learning Democracy Firsthand

Every Club elects five officers each year to govern the activities of the Chavez Service Club. These officers are President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Historian. The meetings give opportunity to the Chavistas to learn the art of running a meeting, discussing the issues, voting, designing activities, carrying out responsibilities and a time to discuss what was learned and were the Chavistas accountable for their part in the activity. Each member must register to vote using the Chavista Voter Registration Form before they can participate in the election activities.

Shaking Hands

A Key Leadership Skill

“Give me a firm hand shake and look directly into my eyes” is the first lesson Chavistas learn from the Club Coordinators as the Chavistas enter the room for their first meeting. This handshake sets the foundation for a number of other leadership lessons the Chavistas will learn and take with them for their entire life.

Book Clubs

Improving Reading Skills and Expanding Critical Thinking

Learning About History, Social Justice

and the Fight for Equality

A small tagline

Cesar Chavez Service Club members have an opportunity to participate in an after-school book club at five schools in San Diego Unified School District and one school in the Chula Vista Elementary District. These Book Clubs reinforce the 10 Values of the Chavez Service Clubs through a supported reading program led by club volunteers, Carmen Brooks and others. Chavistas read age appropriate fiction and non-fiction award winning books (Newbery Honor, National Book Award, Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor winners). In Club meetings, Book Club members discuss the themes and characters in the books and work on writing projects to express their thoughts about what they are reading.

Civic Participation

Participation in the Governance of Our Community

School Board Presentations

The Chavez Service Clubs enjoy the opportunity to make presentations to the decision makers of the San Diego Unified School District regarding the many issues that affect students. Two of the Chavistas below were founders of Point Loma High’s Chavez Service Club and are now following their dreams of becoming a doctor and a lawyer.

Cesar Chavez Station Campaign

The Chavistas led a very successful letter writing campaign to convince the local transit board to name the 25th Street trolley stop in honor of human rights champion Cesar Chavez. The station dedication drew a host of speakers including Dolores Huerta and Hon. Ben Hueso. The Chavistas also participated in the program.

School Budget Advocacy

Not wanting their teachers laid off, the Central Elementary Chavistas rallied to make presentations at the board meetings and meet with each school board member individually at the district’s central office, at the representative’s home, or a meeting at the Central school site. The president of the school board has gone on record saying that he believes it was the participation of the Chavistas that centered and brought the board together regarding not laying off teachers.